Eagles’ Jason Kelce to address his future at news conference Monday

Eagles center Jason Kelce will hold a news conference on Monday afternoon to address his future, he announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday morning.

The Eagles confirmed that the news conference will be held at the NovaCare Complex at 1 p.m.

Kelce, 36, has been contemplating the future of his playing career, as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent come March 13. He told The Inquirer at the AFC championship game in January that he wasn’t sure what was going to happen for him, but he wants to be involved in the organization regardless of whether he decides to keep playing or not.

However, following the Eagles’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round, sources confirmed to The Inquirer that Kelce told teammates that he plans to retire. Kelce had declined to speak to reporters immediately after the loss.

“He’s hinted at it,” right tackle Lane Johnson said of Kelce’s potential retirement after the game. “I think it’s going to have to be him to make that call. But I was playing it like it was his last. You never know.”

» READ MORE: Sielski: When Jason Kelce walks away from the Eagles, he’ll be ready to live a new life. Too many of his peers can’t say the same.

Last offseason, Kelce announced that he would be returning to the Eagles for another season with a video posted to social media in which he poured beer from a keg. In his post to X on Monday morning, Kelce said that there would not be another keg video this year. Kelce had been in a similar situation during the 2022 offseason, too, contemplating retirement before deciding to return to the Eagles on a one-year deal.

The Eagles selected Kelce in the sixth round, No. 191 overall, in the 2011 draft out of Cincinnati. The native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, has spent all 13 seasons of his NFL career with the Eagles. Kelce was part of the Super Bowl LII champion team and was named to seven Pro Bowl and six All-Pro rosters.

This season, Kelce broke Jon Runyan’s record of 144 consecutive regular-season starts (2000-08), amassing 156 of his own. That streak is the second-longest among active players behind Atlanta Falcons tackle Jake Matthews (162), and it is the longest by a center since Casey Wiegmann (175 from 2001-11 with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos).

“I think he’s smart enough and understands the game and understands what he has to do to actually execute his job that he can find different ways to do it,” Runyan said to The Inquirer of Kelce before the center broke his record in October. “That’s really, I think, the key to longevity.”

Kelce has played 193 regular-season games with the Eagles, ranking ahead of any offensive lineman in franchise history. Defensive end Brandon Graham holds the franchise record among all position groups with 195 games.

» READ MORE: Jason Kelce’s career with the Eagles, by the numbers

Throughout the last 13 seasons, Pro Football Focus attributes Kelce with conceding just 19 sacks on 7,944 career pass-blocking snaps. In 2023, Kelce was credited with allowing one sack, one hit, and 13 hurries. In each of those categories, Kelce ranked in the top 10 in the league among starting centers.

The Eagles have been planning for Kelce’s retirement from a team-building perspective since last offseason. General manager Howie Roseman selected offensive lineman Cam Jurgens in the second round, No. 51 overall, in the 2022 draft out of Nebraska as the heir apparent to Kelce.

Jurgens, 24, served as the starting center for three seasons at Nebraska. Upon making the transition to the NFL, Jurgens earned the starting right guard gig out of training camp with Kelce returning for another season. When Kelce ultimately retires, Jurgens could slide over to center, or the Eagles could identify another candidate via the draft or free agency and keep Jurgens at right guard.